President Trump is giving Iran more time to back off from its blockade of the major oil route in the Strait of Hormuz before he launches attacks on its power grid. Oil futures tumbled on Trump’s encouraging news that the U.S. and Iran have had “very good and productive conversations” that could yield “a complete and total resolution” in the war.
The facts on the ground appear to tell a different story for now. Iran continued to launch missiles toward Israel overnight after two direct hits this weekend in southern Israel wounded more than 100, and earlier, struck Jerusalem’s Old City. Iran also proved that its ICBMs could reach Western Europe with a launch toward a U.S.-U.K. military base.
Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear research and development facility in Iran on Saturday, and Iran later responded by launching a missile at Dimona, where Israel’s nuclear reactor is located. Hours later, Tehran struck again in the nearby southern Israeli city of Arad.
To the shock and dismay of Israelis, neither missile was intercepted and crashed into the cities, doing severe damage, but miraculously, not killing anyone.
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Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Effie Defrin explained, “These are two separate incidents that happened at different times, and in both, interceptors were fired, but unfortunately, we were not able to intercept the missiles that were fired. From the investigation we carried out in the Air Force, it came out that the failure in the interception in both incidents is not related, one to the other.”
Defrin noted that the missiles Iran is using are familiar to Israel, and they are learning new things all the time.
“The Air Force is managing a complex defensive battle. More than 90% of the launches fired at Israel are intercepted. This is an unprecedented achievement,” he said.
Late in the afternoon on Friday, Iran fired a missile that landed in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. It’s the second time in a week that fragments fell in the historic Old City, as huge missile parts landed near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and on the Temple Mount.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “They fired on Jerusalem right next to the holy sites of the three monotheistic faiths, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. And by dint of a miracle, again, none of them were hurt, but they were targeting the holy sites of the three major monotheistic religions.”
While visiting the impact site in Arad on Sunday, Netanyahu observed that the fact that they targeted civilians with a “mass murder weapon” proves that “Iran endangers the entire world.”
“We’re responding with great force, but not on civilians. We’re going after the regime,” the prime minister insisted. “We’re going after the IRGC, this criminal gang, and we’re going after them personally: their leaders, their installations, their economic assets. We’re going after them very strongly.”
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